Macromers, Monomers & Molecular Engineering

A macromer is essentially an assembly of pre-polymerised monomers that has been modified to enable it to act as a monomer by addition of one or more polymerisable double bonds. Macromers advantageously overcome the problems of toxicity encountered with low molecular weight monomers and have much lower polymerisation exotherms. We are maximizing the versatility of the available monomer range using macromer technology. The principles of molecular engineering underpin the design and synthesise of materials with specific structural features that enable such interactions to take place. Choice of monomers in the polymer architecture on a molecular scale allows design of functionality on the macro scale.

Properties important in the palette of monomers that enable the creation of molecularly engineered hydrogel structures include: